SI.com's experts weigh in with their predictions for Sunday's race in Talladega, Ala.
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LARS
ANDERSON |
MARK
BEECH |
TOM
BOWLES |
| The winner of the UAW-Ford 500 will be ... |
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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Jeff Gordon
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Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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| Why? |
| Talladega has long been Little E's best track on the circuit, and it would be fitting for him to get his final win as a DEI driver on Sunday. This will be Junior's best chance to win before the season is over, because his crew chief, Tony Eury Jr., is moving to Hendrick Motorsports on Monday to prepare for Little E's switch to Hendrick at season's end.
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Along with teammate Jimmie Johnson, he's one of only two Chase drivers ever to win at Talladega. Gordon also has a series-best 103.0 driver rating at the track. It also helps, of course, that he was the winner of the spring race at 'Dega.
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The first plate race with the CoT should turn drafting "old school" at 'Dega -- a move that favors drivers like Earnhardt. Easily his best track, there's no reason to suggest the No. 8 Chevy won't have a shot at Victory Lane with the way the DEI CoT program's turned around.
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| Keep an eye on ... |
Jimmie Johnson
If Johnson manages a top-five on Sunday, watch out. His two best tracks on the circuit, Charlotte and Martinsville, are the next two up on the schedule.
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Kevin Harvick
He jumped four places in the standings with his sixth-place run at Kansas last Sunday, and Talladega provides an excellent opportunity for him to continue a move towards the top. He's got three top-fives and seven top-10s there in 13 starts, and he's already shown this season that he can win on a Superspeedway. Scary.
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Jeff Gordon
The winner of the spring race here, Gordon is currently riding a 15-race winless streak in the Cup series -- easily his longest drought of the season. With the Chase about to hit a critical juncture, it's important the Rainbow Warrior at least contend for the win at this, one of his better tracks.
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| Don't expect much from ... |
Clint Bowyer
Bowyer has been easily been the surprise of the Chase, but Talladega has never been kind to him. In three career starts at 'Dega, he's never finished on the lead lap.
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Clint Bowyer
If there is a track in the Chase that can trip up NASCAR's newest star, it's Talladega, where he's never finished better than 35th in three races. Bowyer needs to hang on this weekend if he's to stay in the hunt for the Chase.
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Clint Bowyer
The Kansas native has proven to be the Cinderella story of the Chase -- but at Talladega, look for the glass slipper to form a serious crack. In three career Cup starts here, the second-year driver has yet to finish in the Top 30.
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| Mythical SI.com Cup |
TOTAL POINTS: 3,889
Last week: 51 (Tony Stewart) |
TOTAL POINTS: 3,881
Last week: 51 (Tony Stewart) |
TOTAL POINTS: 3,925
Last week: 51 (Tony Stewart) |
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